It's finally in the teens! What a joyous break from the subzero temps we had all last week. Chores seem to go quicker and Farmer Rick has to wear fewer layers of barn clothes when he heads off to milk. Tractors seem to start easier (only needing to be plugged in a couple of hours rather than all day), animals are happier, and water lines keep flowing.
Another cold spell is on the way, so we scramble to stock the woodpile, scrape the silage buildup on the silo walls, and check the blanket on the old gelding to make sure it'll make another round of cold weather. We come out of hibernation long enough to shore ourselves up for the next batch of cold. But, it's been a good time to get caught up on things in the house and shop. It's unbelievable how much stuff accumulates and piles up when you're so busy the rest of the year. It feels good to unclutter a few places in our work areas.
It feels good to unclutter our lives.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cold, Very Cold
What a cold morning! As we pull our barn clothes on, we glance at the outdoor thermometer that reads -23. Trying to do chores with five layers of sweatshirts, two pair of long johns and then sweats over that - I feel like the Michelin Man!
Farmer Rick's attention first turns to how the animals fared for the night. Did they all find a dry, warm place to lay? Did the waterer freee up? Nobody's shivering, right? These are all questions that go through one's mind when encountering a night like last night. Thank God that there is only supposed to be a couple of these, then a warm-up. When we get a long streak of very frigid weather, it begins to take it's toll on the very young and very old cattle. February seems to be the hardest because the animals know the tide is turning. Their winter coats are already beginning to shed because of the lengthening of days and there are days that flirt with above freezing temps. But there seems to be something that comes from deep within themselves - is this it? Is it ever going to end? When will spring ever come? I can see it in the older cattle especially. I just keep encouraging them. Telling them that spring isn't that far away, please don't give up!
Also, to our great thrill - no pipes froze up and broke. We did have a neighbor call right away in the morning, though, that had pipes freeze in the milkhouse. He needed advice on the correct soldering flux and materials to use because what he was using wasn't working. How neat it is to be able to share and encourage another farmer who is expieriencing some of the trials and woes that seem to affect us all at times. Knowing that we all share a common bond and common trials is a gentle reminder from time to time that we still are not alone. There are still a few of us left that still work and draw our living from the land and livestock.
Now - out to the barn to check on everybody once again. Push up feed. Feed hay. Milk. Feed calves, bed cows. Straighten the blanket on the old gelding before turning him out. Work. Yes, but we are thankful for what we have and are so grateful for the many blessings that come along with farming.
Farmer Rick's attention first turns to how the animals fared for the night. Did they all find a dry, warm place to lay? Did the waterer freee up? Nobody's shivering, right? These are all questions that go through one's mind when encountering a night like last night. Thank God that there is only supposed to be a couple of these, then a warm-up. When we get a long streak of very frigid weather, it begins to take it's toll on the very young and very old cattle. February seems to be the hardest because the animals know the tide is turning. Their winter coats are already beginning to shed because of the lengthening of days and there are days that flirt with above freezing temps. But there seems to be something that comes from deep within themselves - is this it? Is it ever going to end? When will spring ever come? I can see it in the older cattle especially. I just keep encouraging them. Telling them that spring isn't that far away, please don't give up!
Also, to our great thrill - no pipes froze up and broke. We did have a neighbor call right away in the morning, though, that had pipes freeze in the milkhouse. He needed advice on the correct soldering flux and materials to use because what he was using wasn't working. How neat it is to be able to share and encourage another farmer who is expieriencing some of the trials and woes that seem to affect us all at times. Knowing that we all share a common bond and common trials is a gentle reminder from time to time that we still are not alone. There are still a few of us left that still work and draw our living from the land and livestock.
Now - out to the barn to check on everybody once again. Push up feed. Feed hay. Milk. Feed calves, bed cows. Straighten the blanket on the old gelding before turning him out. Work. Yes, but we are thankful for what we have and are so grateful for the many blessings that come along with farming.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Prepping for Taxtime
On these long cold days, atleast something can be done in the house for the good of the farm. Being stuck inside as the thermometer plummets below zero can bring on a case of cabin fever quicker than ice covers the stock tank when the tank heater malfunctions.
Hauling out the receipts, checkbook registers and pillow for my computer chair, I embark upon the journey of prepping our books for our tax appointment for the end of January. It's not a whole lot of fun, tallying all of your expenses and income (meager at times!), but it gives purpose to those hours spent indoors relishing every last piece of wood that you put on the woodpile, keeping the house nice and toasty. Seeing the numbers begin to compile down the spreadsheets gives credence to the feeling you've had in your gut since you dropped the last load of corn in the gravity box to haul to the grain elevator. Good year. Bad year.
Good or bad, nothing compares to seeing golden grain flowing into the hopper at the elevator, knowing that you did your best to bring the best yield from your acreage that you possibly could. For several years, Farmer Rick only raised corn to feed the cows here on the home place. But after honing his skills and slowly adding a better line of planting, tillage and harvesting equipment to the lineup, we've been able to have a couple of semiloads of corn after filling the cribs with corn to sell. We are very thankful to God for giving us this extra income. What a help it has been in times of low milk prices to have a few thousand extra bushel of corn on hand to drop on a bill or two!
In reference to our previous entry on our blog, we have had no more major surprises in the barn as far as losing cattle. We have the meat in the freezer from the young cow that we lost, and have moved a few heifers around to balance out the stocking rate in the pen that housed the heifer we lost. It still hurts to lose an animal. Any animal. But chores still need to be done, animals fed, pipes thawn out and tractors started that just don't want to turn over in below zero weather. You learn. Try to take the best care of your animals and property that you possibly can and take what is dealt to you. Your dependence upon God and his provision deepens, and you look forward to those warm sunny days that are coming ever closer, choosing your seed corn varieties, purchasing fertilizer needs, and anticipating yet another year of challenge and growth.
Hauling out the receipts, checkbook registers and pillow for my computer chair, I embark upon the journey of prepping our books for our tax appointment for the end of January. It's not a whole lot of fun, tallying all of your expenses and income (meager at times!), but it gives purpose to those hours spent indoors relishing every last piece of wood that you put on the woodpile, keeping the house nice and toasty. Seeing the numbers begin to compile down the spreadsheets gives credence to the feeling you've had in your gut since you dropped the last load of corn in the gravity box to haul to the grain elevator. Good year. Bad year.
Good or bad, nothing compares to seeing golden grain flowing into the hopper at the elevator, knowing that you did your best to bring the best yield from your acreage that you possibly could. For several years, Farmer Rick only raised corn to feed the cows here on the home place. But after honing his skills and slowly adding a better line of planting, tillage and harvesting equipment to the lineup, we've been able to have a couple of semiloads of corn after filling the cribs with corn to sell. We are very thankful to God for giving us this extra income. What a help it has been in times of low milk prices to have a few thousand extra bushel of corn on hand to drop on a bill or two!
In reference to our previous entry on our blog, we have had no more major surprises in the barn as far as losing cattle. We have the meat in the freezer from the young cow that we lost, and have moved a few heifers around to balance out the stocking rate in the pen that housed the heifer we lost. It still hurts to lose an animal. Any animal. But chores still need to be done, animals fed, pipes thawn out and tractors started that just don't want to turn over in below zero weather. You learn. Try to take the best care of your animals and property that you possibly can and take what is dealt to you. Your dependence upon God and his provision deepens, and you look forward to those warm sunny days that are coming ever closer, choosing your seed corn varieties, purchasing fertilizer needs, and anticipating yet another year of challenge and growth.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Losing a Cow
Maybe it's the long cold days of winter that seem to drag you down after awhile, or the ever shrinking milk check as you struggle to pay the bills that continually seem to mount. Maybe it's just the culmination of many things that eventually pull you down into a funk that only begins to slowly be stripped away as the days lengthen and the warmth strengthens.
But losing a cow just pulls you down by the seat of the pants and makes one wonder "what am I doing?", "why does this have to happen to us?" We once had a relative tell us, one who had been milking cows for over 30 years, that no matter how well you fed your cows, took care of your cows, vetted, vaccinated, bedded or pastured your cows, they always found a new way to die on you. Just about the time you thought you had every conceiveable disease covered with a vaccination, a magnet down them for hardware, better nutritionally balanced meals than your own family, that something new, something unusual would always creep up and catch you from behind. Well, that's what happened this week.
We have always prided ourselves in how well we take care of our girls. We make sure that they are clean, well-fed, and provided lots of green pasture when the season permits. But just a couple of days ago, we had a herd health scheduled with the vet and had him take a quick look at a cow that seemed a little "off". We had hoped that at worst, it would be a DA (twisted stomach) and a simple, (but quite expensive) surgery could remedy the problem. Once checking her over, we could tell the the look on his face that something was seriously wrong. When your vet asks if you've put your meat grinder away yet from deer season, you know that it's serious. Our young cow, one that was due to be dried off the following day with a March calf in her, had ruptured her cecum (similar to an appendix) and was bleeding to death internally. There was nothing we could do but lead her out the door, drop her with a bullet and prep her for the freezer. Her calf wasn't far enough along to be able to save, but she was a fine heifer calf indeed.
Losing a 400 pound heifer calf last night didn't help things either. It seems like when it rains, it pours. Really pours.
One minute she's munching her hay and grain, the next she's on her side bellowing and thrashing in pain. Her stomach immediately swelled up and she was like a baloon ready to pop. While wrestling with her in the pen, trying to get the tube down her throat to alleviate the pressure, she suffocated and died in my arms. All I could do was sit there in the straw and bawl. What else can you do?
Yes, this blog is here to not only express the joys of farming, but to also give a window into the reality of farming. You try SO hard to care for your land and animals, pay the bills on an ever shrinking share of the food dollar, and yet there are so many things that continually work against you. It's still a great way of life, but Oh, can these times ever pull you down.
But losing a cow just pulls you down by the seat of the pants and makes one wonder "what am I doing?", "why does this have to happen to us?" We once had a relative tell us, one who had been milking cows for over 30 years, that no matter how well you fed your cows, took care of your cows, vetted, vaccinated, bedded or pastured your cows, they always found a new way to die on you. Just about the time you thought you had every conceiveable disease covered with a vaccination, a magnet down them for hardware, better nutritionally balanced meals than your own family, that something new, something unusual would always creep up and catch you from behind. Well, that's what happened this week.
We have always prided ourselves in how well we take care of our girls. We make sure that they are clean, well-fed, and provided lots of green pasture when the season permits. But just a couple of days ago, we had a herd health scheduled with the vet and had him take a quick look at a cow that seemed a little "off". We had hoped that at worst, it would be a DA (twisted stomach) and a simple, (but quite expensive) surgery could remedy the problem. Once checking her over, we could tell the the look on his face that something was seriously wrong. When your vet asks if you've put your meat grinder away yet from deer season, you know that it's serious. Our young cow, one that was due to be dried off the following day with a March calf in her, had ruptured her cecum (similar to an appendix) and was bleeding to death internally. There was nothing we could do but lead her out the door, drop her with a bullet and prep her for the freezer. Her calf wasn't far enough along to be able to save, but she was a fine heifer calf indeed.
Losing a 400 pound heifer calf last night didn't help things either. It seems like when it rains, it pours. Really pours.
One minute she's munching her hay and grain, the next she's on her side bellowing and thrashing in pain. Her stomach immediately swelled up and she was like a baloon ready to pop. While wrestling with her in the pen, trying to get the tube down her throat to alleviate the pressure, she suffocated and died in my arms. All I could do was sit there in the straw and bawl. What else can you do?
Yes, this blog is here to not only express the joys of farming, but to also give a window into the reality of farming. You try SO hard to care for your land and animals, pay the bills on an ever shrinking share of the food dollar, and yet there are so many things that continually work against you. It's still a great way of life, but Oh, can these times ever pull you down.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A New Year
Bitter cold greets us as we begin another year on the farm. After working outside most of the day milking, putting up firewood, cleaning barn, feeding calves, horses and pigs, to be greeted by a warm house when the work is finished is just what a person needs!
So far there have been few minor breakdowns - keep your fingers crossed and keep praying! Farmer Rick has had to make a few trips up to the top of the silo to replace a burned out belt and chip frozen silage off of the walls while it runs, but as of yet, no down cows, frozen/burst water lines or major tractor fuel line freeze-ups. We just take one day at a time and go with it.
When coming in out of the cold, a hot meal of pork chops, mashed potatos, jello and steamy buttered rolls sure warms a person up quick! This is the time of year that we also enjoy evenings of old movies, playing cards and working on craft projects in the warmth of the living room. These are great family times that we cherish very much. All too soon, the kids grow up and these wonderful times together are but distant memories. But atleast I feel reassured knowing that we had the time to create them in the first place. Once the first hints of spring are in the air, it's time to once again begin the cycle of fieldwork, fencing, baling hay, etc. that goes with the yearly round of events on the farm, and the quiet, easy nights after chores become filled with the work that just can't wait for another day. But we're glad that we have this opportunity to live and work on the rolling farmland that God has given us. It's been a good life and we look forward to many more years of turning the earth and watching the fruits of our labor grow and flourish.
So far there have been few minor breakdowns - keep your fingers crossed and keep praying! Farmer Rick has had to make a few trips up to the top of the silo to replace a burned out belt and chip frozen silage off of the walls while it runs, but as of yet, no down cows, frozen/burst water lines or major tractor fuel line freeze-ups. We just take one day at a time and go with it.
When coming in out of the cold, a hot meal of pork chops, mashed potatos, jello and steamy buttered rolls sure warms a person up quick! This is the time of year that we also enjoy evenings of old movies, playing cards and working on craft projects in the warmth of the living room. These are great family times that we cherish very much. All too soon, the kids grow up and these wonderful times together are but distant memories. But atleast I feel reassured knowing that we had the time to create them in the first place. Once the first hints of spring are in the air, it's time to once again begin the cycle of fieldwork, fencing, baling hay, etc. that goes with the yearly round of events on the farm, and the quiet, easy nights after chores become filled with the work that just can't wait for another day. But we're glad that we have this opportunity to live and work on the rolling farmland that God has given us. It's been a good life and we look forward to many more years of turning the earth and watching the fruits of our labor grow and flourish.
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